Talking Stick - May/June 2008 - (Page 8)

Just In Spotlight California University of Pennsylvania (California, Pennsylvania) Name: Carter Hall Opened: August 2007 Cost: $21,019,486 Architect: WTW Architects After the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education mandated that they install a new sprinkler system, the California University of Pennsylvania decided instead to just knock down the six existing residence halls and rebuild them all. “The costs for everything that had to be done were almost equal to starting all over and building new,” says Shawn Urbine, associate dean for residential facilities and conferences. As a result, the university began their $121 million Residence Hall Renewal Project to create 2,264 rooms, which adds 700 more residential rooms to the campus. Carter Hall, the ﬁnal hall to be built, was completed and opened in August 2007. Named for the university’s ﬁrst African-American graduate, it not only houses 352 students, but also the health center, women’s center, counseling center, and multicultural center. Cal U prides itself on being at the forefront of energy management, earning the top spot for the least energy used per square foot from their state system of higher education for 13 years running. This motivated their “green” focus for the buildings, which include amenities such as ﬂuorescent lighting, windows that trigger sensors and shut off heat and air conditioning units when opened, and geothermal heat pumps that have saved the university $317,450 in utility costs so far. All buildings include one to three thermostats per suite, as opposed to the one per eight rooms in the old buildings. There are seven suite-style options, and each suite has its own bathroom. Cal U is the only university in Pennsylvania to replace all of its residence halls, and the change 8 Talking Stick of scenery has really sparked growth on campus. Enrollment has nearly doubled, now at 8,200, and the residence halls are 83 percent occupied for the start of the 2008-2009 academic year. Urbine attributes the new and improved campus to the president of the university, Dr. Angelo Armenti Jr.: “He really had a vision for the entire master plan of our campus. Over the last several years our enrollments have gone up, and the president directly attributes that to these housing changes, Just seeing it and walking through, it sort of sells itself: beautiful buildings that are well designed, attractive, and they’ve got the amenities that students want.” GREG SOFRANKO, CAMPUS PHOTOGRAPHER CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - May/June 2008

Talking Stick - May/June 2008 Contents Online Now Vision Just In Your ACUHO-I Transitions Res Life Facilities Business Calendar Managing Move-In Madness Strike Up the Brand 44 for the Future There Goes the Neighborhood Academic Communities Conversations First Takes Reporting Out New Members On the Spot

Talking Stick - May/June 2008

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